Hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! It might take a while to get into the angst, but we're getting there.
If you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see in the story, I'm open to new ideas
x x x x
"It has been confirmed, I am officially Lardass." Lindsey declared, looping her arm through Samantha's as they ambled up the concrete steps.
"Oh, I guess that makes me Dogface." Sam laughed, unconcerned by the insult.
"Hey look, there's Ally." Ruby pointed out, nodding across the yard. "Maybe you should go over there and bark at her to see what she does."
They turned their attention to the girl, currently hanging off Tommy like drapes off a curtain pole, and wrinkled their noses in disgust at her blatant gyrating against the footballer.
As they muttered their disapproval, an unexpected voice infiltrated their little group.
Sam spun around, her eyes wide with shock, and squeaked a shy greeting in return. Scott's lips turned into a half smile that made her stomach flip and she unconsciously gripped Lindsey's arm tighter.
"I saw you running track the other day." The boy noted, clearly uneasy at having all three girls eyeing him back. "You were pretty good. You should run for the team."
"Really?" She practically gasped. "Yeah, I'll … I'll think about it."
"Sports freak." Ruby muttered teasingly, earning her a painful nudge in the ribs from the blonde girl and an odd look from Scott.
"Anyway," he shifted his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "Maybe I'll catch you later."
As he ambled away, Sam practically melted into Lindsey's side.
"Did that seriously just happen?" She asked, dazed. "Did he actually just compliment me?"
"He's sweet-talking you." Lindsey scoffed, shrugging her mate off. "He's a player, I told you."
"Well, player or not." Ruby cut in, her gaze fixed across the school yard. "He wasn't subtle; and someone else was watching."
Sure enough, Ally was scowling at them from afar; her cold stare piercing their group even from this distance.
"Let's go." Lindsey tugged them away. "I'm getting frostbite."
X x x
"It's not love." Lindsey snorted, nearly choking on her lunch.
"How do you know that?" Sam queried, propping her head up on the table and fixing her with an accusatory look.
"You've had one conversation with him." Lindsey pointed out, barely biting back a harsh laugh. "That is not love. It's not even friendship."
"Aw, don't ruin her fantasies." Ruby frowned, playing devil's advocate between the bickering friends. "It makes her happy."
"Come on, you can't seriously think she's actually in love with him?"
"Maybe." The olive-skinned girl shrugged, refusing to pick sides. She had always hated it when they put her in the middle, and as a result she spent most of her time sitting on the metaphorical fence.
"It's not love!" Lindsey repeated, her stubborn streak rearing its ugly head. "He's just like all other guys. He'll take what he wants and leave you cold."
"No, Scott's not like that."
"They're all like that, Sam." She sighed, her patience clearly waning fast. "You're just too naïve to see it."
"Hey, don't take it out on me;" Samantha insisted defensively. "Just because you got dumped by Charlie doesn't mean the same thing will happen to me."
As soon as the words left her lips, she knew that they were a mistake. And sure enough, Lindsey's blue eyes flashed with hurt.
However, to her friends' surprise, the fiery teenager didn't lash out. Instead, with unsettling composure, she pushed her lunch tray away and stood up.
"You're gonna get hurt Sam." She said calmly, her steady voice disguising the sadness behind her words. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
X x x
"I'm home." She hollered, letting the front door slam shut behind her. "Mom?"
Catherine wandered out of the kitchen at the ungainly entrance, drying her hands on a towel, and smiled brightly at her daughter.
"Hi honey." She greeted cheerfully. "How was school?"
"Fine." Lindsey answered noncommittally, tossing her bag at the floor and moving instantly towards the stairs.
Catherine's positive demeanour quickly snapped to firm parental as she pointed at the bag.
"Um, aren't you going to put that away?"
"Later." Came the bad-tempered response as the child stropped upstairs and allowed her bedroom door to swing shut with an equally loud bang as the front door had.
Catherine rolled her eyes, slinging the tea-towel over her shoulder and folding her arms across her chest.
They'd managed ten whole seconds of civilised conversation at least. That was an improvement at least.
X x x
Upstairs, Lindsey fell into her natural routine.
Jacket slung across the ever-unused desk chair, a quick glance into her mirror and promptly settled on her bed with her laptop in hand.
Ordinarily, this would be followed by either a lengthy phone call or text message conversation with Sam. Today, it was Sam's turn to call her.
But she had a disheartening feeling that her phone wasn't going to ring tonight – a feeling that grew with each depressingly long moment of silence that followed.
X x x
"Have you spoken to Lindsey since lunch?" Ruby asked. Sam could hear her chewing idly on a piece of raw carrot as she spoke. It wouldn't be too long until dinner, but the girl notoriously couldn't go more than a few hours between meals; and she hadn't exactly felt liking eating much at lunchtime.
"No." She moped, doodling patterns on the front of her notebook with her free hand. "Have you?"
"No, I never saw her again today." Ruby fell quiet for a second; clearly debating whether now would be a good time to offer some words of comfort – not her forte, admittedly. "I'm sure she'll come around."
"Yeah, she's just in a mood." Sam agreed, although she was not as certain of the assurance as the other girl. "She'll get over it."
The conversation was interrupted by a muted argument on the other end of the line and Sam instantly recognised the shrill voice of Ruby's little sister. Close in age, they had been forced to share a room together since Gracie was born, and the result was the fiercest of love-hate relationships known to man.
"Sorry." Ruby breathed hurriedly, quickly falling back into the topic of discussion. "Anyway, I don't even know what the big deal was. You only said what everyone else already knows anyway."
"Exactly." Sam hummed. "I mean, just because Charlie was a jerk to her, doesn't mean that Scott will be to me." She paused. "Right?"
X x x
With a groan of resignation, Cath stooped down and extracted Lindsey's gym kit from the depths of the school bag.
Along with it, three pens and a ball of crumpled paper tumbled out and rolled towards her feet.
"Oh, Lindsey." She huffed, snatching the document up and unfurling it. She expected it to be a misplaced homework assignment or maybe a set of discarded class notes long since forgotten.
She did not, however, expect to see her own name embossed across the top of the Butterfield Academy-Headed letter.
X x x
Lindsey continued to stare at the screen, her fingers poised above the keys in readiness.
Sam had been wrong. There were no two ways about that – she had no idea what she was talking about when it came to guys.
Not that that made her observation about Charlie sting any less.
It was the reason, however, for what Lindsey was doing now. After all, if Samantha wouldn't listen to the voice of reason, maybe she could get her point across another way. Even if it was decidedly underhand and sneaky.
With a conflicted sigh, she cast her eyes over the details of the new profile she had made.
Dark hair, hazel eyes, athletic body; interested in cars. An environmentalist; and vegetarian to boot.
What girl could resist that?
Letting her eyes drift closed, as if being sightless might make what she was doing somehow easier, she hit enter.
"James Robinson." She exhaled. "Welcome to Friend Agenda."